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Thousands of patients suffering from blood cancers, bowel disease, eczema and arthritis are set to benefit from Pharmac's decision to widen access to four medicines from 1 May.
They are venetoclax and azacitidine to treat acute myeloid leukaemia, ibrutinib for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, and upadacitinib (brand name Rinvoq) to treat eczema, ulcerative colitis, Crohn disease, and rheumatoid arthritis.
The drug-funding agency estimated that 1200 patients would benefit this year, rising to more than 5000 annually after 2030.
Pharmac's chief medical officer, Dr David Hughes, said widening access would not only help patients but would also "have benefits for the wider health system".
For example, he said, switching more patients to upadacitinib (Rinvoq) would reduce the need for Health NZ's infusion services by 4000 hours a year.
Until now, some patients with severe eczema have been [https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/521236/new-zealand-10-years-behind-on-recommended-eczema-treatment-dermatologists
paying privately for this autoimmune drug,] known as a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor, which blocks signals from cells that trigger inflammation.
Depending on the brand and concentration, JAK inhibitors and biologics can cost more than $30,000 a year per patient.
Pharmac is allowing people who are already privately funding these medicines to "transition" to publicly-funded treatment, provided the same eligibility criteria were met before they started treatment.
Hughes said the wider access was the result of a "bundle agreement" with the supplier, AbbVie.
"Our team have negotiated a great deal with AbbVie. Alongside making venetoclax and upadacitinib available to more New Zealanders at a reduced net price, our teams have also negotiated price reductions for two already funded medicines - a medicine used to treat Hepatitis C, and a medicine to treat inflammatory conditions.
"These savings enable us to maximise the use of our medicines budget to fund more treatments for New Zealanders," he said.
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